3 Bad Driving Habits To Avoid in Baltimore, MD

Baltimore, MD, has over 600,000 people and over 140,000 others commuting into the city every day. Many of the people in our city will be driving, and this makes it very important to be careful when you’re driving. Bad driving habits, with so many drivers and pedestrians around, can easily lead to an accident. To keep you safe, these are some bad habits to avoid when you’re driving.

Distracted Driving

It’s very easy to become distracted, especially if you’re stuck in slow-moving traffic or you’re driving a route you’re very familiar with. This familiarity tends to make one’s mind wander onto other things. The danger of being distracted means that you’re not concentrating on the road ahead. A car ahead, for example, may suddenly slow down, or a pedestrian may step off the sidewalk. If you’re distracted, you may not see either of these scenarios in time.

As a driver, one of the most important things to be aware of is the area around you as you move. When you’re focusing on the vehicles and people around you, you’ll be better able to prevent an accident and keep yourself and your car safe.

Tailgating

Tailgating is a very dangerous practice, and it involves following the car in front of you as closely as possible. There are many reasons why drivers tailgate, including anger at the slower pace of the vehicle ahead, being in a hurry to get somewhere, or even being distracted and not paying attention to distance. Regardless of the reason, tailgating can very easily cause an accident.

If the vehicle ahead slows down or stops, it’s vital to have time to slow down yourself. A collision is likely when there isn’t enough distance between your car and the vehicle ahead. If you rear-end a car in front of you, you will likely face three serious problems. Your vehicle will be damaged and need repairs, the driver ahead of you may sue you for damages, and you may receive a ticket for tailgating.

Driving With Your High Beams

High beams are essential for safe driving in low light conditions when you can’t see the road ahead. They can, however, cause an accident if drivers are coming toward you or if people step into the street. Some drivers can forget to switch their high beams to low beams, and other drivers, unfortunately, will deliberately keep their high beams on.

If you’re driving toward a vehicle with high beams, you’ll notice how difficult it is to see what’s coming toward you. You won’t be able to judge the size and distance away of the vehicle ahead of you, and this can result in an accident. We advise that your high beams always be turned down if other cars are ahead of you.

It’s easy, unfortunately, to slide into bad habits when driving. When you’re aware of bad habits, it becomes easy to avoid them. If you’re interested in a new Toyota car with the latest safety features, we suggest checking out the 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid today. Or perhaps click here if you’d like to read more helpful driving advice from our Baltimore, MD dealership.

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